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Having an app that competes with an existing Apple app is considered a duplicate app and you can be rejected because of it.

by jabart 3y ago

noahtallen 3y ago
Wouldn't that rule out so many apps? E.g. Netflix competing with Apple TV, Goggle Photos vs Apple Photos, Google maps vs Apple maps, any note-taking app, camera, email client, browser, or weather app... What actually gets you rejected?
- landryraccoon 3y ago
  Does Apple ever have to give you a reason why you're rejected, or tell the truth even if they give you a reason? That's probably the biggest reason I think that Society (with a capital S) should rein in Apple a bit. They have a lot of power and money over the consumer, but on top of that they have no obligation to provide transparency and truthfulness. Given how dependent people are on their phones, I think it's perfectly fair for the state to step in and say that the power imbalance between consumers and Apple should be equalized a bit.
SllX 3y ago
This was more of an issue early in the App Store’s history than later on. Apple’s relaxed on that a lot a long time ago and you can use any number of contacts, calendars, email clients, browsers, camera apps, messengers, maps apps and so on.
- afavour 3y ago
  But it still exists in their rules. That they don’t enforce it as often as they used to is cold comfort: they still can whenever they feel the need to do so. So if you get too successful they can still very easily chop you down.
- micromacrofoot 3y ago
  not really for browsers, they allow them but they all have to use Safari's engine
  - SllX 3y ago
    Yeah but browser ≠ rendering engine. I know they get conflated a lot in tech, but when I’m using e.g. Arc on my Macintosh, I’m not using Chrome despite using the same rendering engine.
    - micromacrofoot 3y ago
      ehhhh kind of, what's a browser without a rendering engine? just a fancy bookmark manager?
      - SllX 3y ago
        Most browsers don’t have a rendering engine unique to them. Apple made that a policy for iPhones and its derivatives, but a browser is more than its rendering engine.
        micromacrofoot 3y ago
        My point still stands though, I want to use an alternative browser engine like I do on every other computer... but Apple doesn't allow it
        SllX 3y ago
        So do I, but that doesn’t negate my original point: for almost every category of App that comes on a stock iPhone, you can replace it with a 3rd party alternative. The exceptions are: SMS, Settings, and the Phone app for the numbers tied to your SIMs (there’s still a billion VoIP options including extra lines from carriers like T-Mobile’s Digits) and probably a couple others I’m forgetting. I think the Clock app has a couple of privileges not available to 3rd parties actually. You can use a 3rd party browser, but that browser will use the version of WebKit that comes with the operating system (except soon, in the EU, whenever 3rd party browsers with their own rendering engines ship there).

Having an app that competes with an existing Apple app is considered a duplicate app and you can be rejected because of it.

by jabart 3y ago

Having an app that competes with an existing Apple app is considered a duplicate app and you can be rejected because of it.

noahtallen 3y ago

Wouldn't that rule out so many apps? E.g. Netflix competing with Apple TV, Goggle Photos vs Apple Photos, Google maps vs Apple maps, any note-taking app, camera, email client, browser, or weather app... What actually gets you rejected?

landryraccoon 3y ago
Does Apple ever have to give you a reason why you're rejected, or tell the truth even if they give you a reason? That's probably the biggest reason I think that Society (with a capital S) should rein in Apple a bit. They have a lot of power and money over the consumer, but on top of that they have no obligation to provide transparency and truthfulness. Given how dependent people are on their phones, I think it's perfectly fair for the state to step in and say that the power imbalance between consumers and Apple should be equalized a bit.

SllX 3y ago

This was more of an issue early in the App Store’s history than later on. Apple’s relaxed on that a lot a long time ago and you can use any number of contacts, calendars, email clients, browsers, camera apps, messengers, maps apps and so on.

afavour 3y ago
But it still exists in their rules. That they don’t enforce it as often as they used to is cold comfort: they still can whenever they feel the need to do so. So if you get too successful they can still very easily chop you down.
micromacrofoot 3y ago
not really for browsers, they allow them but they all have to use Safari's engine
- SllX 3y ago
  Yeah but browser ≠ rendering engine. I know they get conflated a lot in tech, but when I’m using e.g. Arc on my Macintosh, I’m not using Chrome despite using the same rendering engine.
  - micromacrofoot 3y ago
    ehhhh kind of, what's a browser without a rendering engine? just a fancy bookmark manager?
    - SllX 3y ago
      Most browsers don’t have a rendering engine unique to them. Apple made that a policy for iPhones and its derivatives, but a browser is more than its rendering engine.
      - micromacrofoot 3y ago
        My point still stands though, I want to use an alternative browser engine like I do on every other computer... but Apple doesn't allow it
        SllX 3y ago
        So do I, but that doesn’t negate my original point: for almost every category of App that comes on a stock iPhone, you can replace it with a 3rd party alternative. The exceptions are: SMS, Settings, and the Phone app for the numbers tied to your SIMs (there’s still a billion VoIP options including extra lines from carriers like T-Mobile’s Digits) and probably a couple others I’m forgetting. I think the Clock app has a couple of privileges not available to 3rd parties actually. You can use a 3rd party browser, but that browser will use the version of WebKit that comes with the operating system (except soon, in the EU, whenever 3rd party browsers with their own rendering engines ship there).